If you’ve ever been in high school, or alive for that matter, there’s a chance that you have likely experienced this thing called burnout. It can get annoying and may cause you to be behind in class or procrastinate your work. There are a lot of different reasons why people experience this. According to gitnux.org, “In a 2020 study, it was found that 56.67% of high school students reported experiencing burnout. 84% of high school students believe that burnout is a serious issue in their daily lives. More than 75% of high school students reported sleeping less than eight hours a night, possibly contributing to burnout.”
Academic pressure and heavy workload are some of the biggest causes of student burnout. Many students in honors or AP classes become stressed from the work and the competitive environment they are usually in with these advanced classes. Sometimes, it isn’t even the work from a specific class that causes burnout; it’s the amount of work from every class a student takes that adds up together.
Ten students answered multiple polls about burnout. The first poll asked if they had experienced burnout, and 90% said yes. We then asked what they mainly experienced burnout from. 60% said school, 10% said friends, and 30% said all of the above. The last poll asked if they had ever lost sleep trying to complete all of their work. 90% said yes, and 10% said no.
We then interviewed a few of the students who voted on the poll and asked them how they dealt with it. One student, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “Tell yourself that people don’t care how you feel; you need to cook now and worry later.” Another anonymous student answered, “I take a break from whatever is causing me burnout and do something else to take my mind off it.”
Based on the poll answers, the main reason for burnout in high schoolers tends to be school. Many of these students are in honors or AP classes, and the workload they receive builds up and creates a stressful environment for them. This environment almost always leads to them burning out.
Burnout is a big problem for those in high school. Ironically, I got burnt out writing this article. One solution to hopefully getting rid of any burnout you may get is organization. Give yourself enough time to finish your work, and give yourself a good schedule to ensure you aren’t overwhelmed. You should also ensure that your schedule isn’t too hard to maintain. If you decide to do five AP classes and four honors, only do so if you know, not think, you can handle the workload while maintaining good grades and stable mental health.
